TOP Rank head Bob Arum watched Mark Jason Melligen?s fight against fellow prospect Gabriel Martinez from start to finish and lauded the 24-year-old Filipino for his performance last Sunday in the undercard of the Nonito Donaire Jr.-Fernando Montiel title clash at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
?I talked with Bob and he said that Mark had a good fight,? according to ALA Promotions president Michael Aldegeur in an interview by Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Melligen and his team, along with Aldeguer, arrived yesterday in Cebu City from the US.
?People were cheering and that fight wasn?t boring, which is important,? said the Cebuano promoter.
Melligen was in a crucial fight with Martinez that could dictate his future under the Top Rank banner, his US promoter. Melligen didn?t fail to impress as he scored a lopsided unanimous decision win over the 23-year-old Martinez.
Aldeguer believes Melligen?s fight last Sunday was a good learning experience for the former amateur standout.
?If I rate it to 10, I give him a seven. He?s still very young at 24. Little by little, he is improving. Mark learned a lot from that fight,? he said.
Aldeguer said they will be reviewing the tape and discuss which aspects Melligen has to improve on. ALA Promotions will get a word from Top Rank, possibly next week, on Melligen?s next fight. Melligen will probably see action sometime in May.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 23, 2011.
